News
Implementing the VolREthics Charter: Ethics Review and Volunteer Protection in Clinical Trials
On June 6th, 2025, a one-day expert meeting will be held to address the protection of healthy volunteers in clinical research. The event is organized under the auspices of the VolREthics initiative and aims to bring together key actors involved in research ethics, policy-making, and clinical trial conduct. The purpose of the meeting is to examine how research policy and ethics review processes can be improved to better safeguard healthy volunteers participating in clinical trials. While the primary focus will be on European regulatory and ethical frameworks, international perspectives are welcome and encouraged.
A central theme of the discussion will be the practical implementation of the conclusions and recommendations outlined in the VolREthics Global Ethics Charter for the Protection of Healthy Volunteers in Clinical Trials. Furthermore, concrete pathways to implementation as well as potential barriers will be discussed from the point of view of a variety of stakeholders, in particular: research funding agencies, ethics review committees, study sponsors from the private and public sectors, regulatory agencies, private and public investigators. Specific attention will be given to the implications and lessons for the EU Ethics appraisal process and relevant reporting guidelines (clinical study package).
Tomáš Doležal will attend the meeting on behalf of the Research Unit of Medical Law and Bioethics.
Further details about the programme can be found here.
Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Human Rights
On 21 May 2025, an international conference was held focusing on the impact of artificial intelligence in healthcare from a human rights perspective. The discussions built upon the report of the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO), which addresses the influence of AI on the doctor–patient relationship.
The conference was organised by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland in cooperation with the Council of Europe. The Research Unit of Medical Law and Bioethics was represented at the event by Tomáš Doležal.
Further information about the conference, including the guide, is available here.
Key topics included patient autonomy, professional standards, equitable access to healthcare, and the protection of privacy and the right to information in connection with the growing use of AI in everyday clinical practice.
Promoting Children's Participation in Decisions Concerning Their Health
This was the theme of the conference organised by the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health, held as part of the mid-term review of the Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022–2027). The event took place in Strasbourg on 3–4 April 2025 under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The conference featured recent Council of Europe activities related to this topic, including the Guide on Children’s Participation in Decisions about Their Health, now available in ten languages, and the newly developed child-friendly version of the guide, which was officially launched during the event.
Further information about the conference is available here.
The Research Unit of Medical Law and Bioethics was represented at the conference by Tomáš Doležal.
Assisted Dying in the Spotlight: Legal and Ethical Issues Debated at the Senate
On April 1, 2025, the Chamber of the Czech Senate hosted a professional conference titled "Decisions at the End of Life", focusing on the legal and ethical issues surrounding palliative care, the register of advance directives, and assisted dying.
The event was held under the patronage of Senator MUDr. Věra
Procházková, in cooperation with the Smrtelník initiative. Participants included professionals from the fields of medicine, law, and academia.
The Research Unit for Medicine Law and Bioethics took an active part in this important discussion. In the panel titled "The Process of Approving a Request for Assisted Dying and the Conditions for Its Provision", Adam Doležal and David Černý presented their expert contributions.
Their presentations addressed both the legislative aspects of potentially introducing assisted dying into Czech law and the ethical challenges that inevitably accompany this sensitive issue.
International Workshop on Necessity and Unjust Enrichment
On December 5, 2024, an international academic workshop titled “Notstand und Bereicherungsrecht” took place at the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
The event was organized by the Research Unit for Medicine Law and Bioethics in cooperation with the Czech and Slovak Society for Tort Law and Related Fields.
The keynote speaker was David Messner from the Institute for European Tort Law in Vienna. His presentation focused on legal questions surrounding necessity and unjust enrichment in the context of German law.
International Conference on Euthanasia: Legal and Ethical Aspects – Current Trends and Challenges
In November 2024, the Research Unit for Medicine Law and Bioethics organized an international conference titled “Legal and Ethical Aspects of Euthanasia – Current Trends and Challenges”, held at the main building of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague.
The aim of the conference was to deepen the national discussion on euthanasia and assisted suicide, particularly in relation to the current legislative proposal on assisted dying.
The program featured international experts who shared legal frameworks and experiences from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain, alongside Czech specialists who addressed ethical, legislative, and practical challenges related to the possible introduction of this legal institute into the Czech system.
Representing the Research Unit were Tomáš Doležal, Adam Doležal and David Černý.
You can find the full conference contributions and further details here.
Expert Conference on Access to Innovative and High-Cost Treatments in the Czech Republic
On October 9, 2024, the Research Unit for Medicine Law and Bioethics at the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences co-organized a professional conference titled “Access to Innovative and High-Cost Treatments in the Czech Republic.”
The goal of the conference was to initiate an interdisciplinary discussion on the use of innovative therapies and the regulatory framework for reimbursing exceptionally high-cost treatments within the Czech healthcare system.
The program featured experts from the fields of law, medicine, health insurance, public administration, and patient advocacy organizations.
Full presentations and further details about the conference are available here.